Housekeeping tips: How to avoid invasion of the spiders

Cooler weather forces spiders into homes to search for food and warmth.Many people decorate their homes with giant fake spiders and spider webs for Halloween.

However, the real thing may not be far behind.

Many spiders begin invading homes as early as March and continue
throughout the sum­mer, according to Jerry Duck­worth of Cook's Pest
Control.

While there is not much of a change in the types of
spiders that invade homes in the fall as compared to the summer, cooler
weather forces the spiders into homes to search for food and warmth,
said Shawyn Barton of Knox Pest Control in Birming­ham.

In
order to protect your home from the nightmarish creatures, we, with the
help of experts from Terminix of Birmingham, Knox Pest Control and
Cook's Pest Control have compiled a list of spiders to look for and
ways to prevent those spiders from invading your home this fall.

>

Black widow spider:
Known for their red hourglass marking and venomous bite.

While they are not known to be life-threatening, their bites can lead
to severe cramping, nausea, a rise in blood pressure and vomiting.

>

Brown recluse: A veno­mous species
identified by the fiddle shaped marking behind their head. The brown
recluse has a potent bite that attacks and kills living tissue, leaving
bite vic­tims with painful sores and sometimes disfiguring scars. The
brown recluse hides in warm, dark environments and is some­times found
in closets, clothing or beds.

>

House spider:
One of the most common spider species found in American homes. This species selects sites for their
webs at random. Their webs are generally found in garages or crawlspaces where they usually live undisturbed.

>

Wolf spider: A large, hairy species
often confused with the tarantula. Wolf spiders are com­monly found in
basements and cellars. They are active hunters, meaning they do not
construct webs. Wolf spiders look more dangerous than they actually are.

>

Orb weaver spider: Best known for
their elaborate webs, which are spun at night and con­sumed each
morning. These spi­ders vary in size and color and are often found in
gardens or landscaped areas around the home.

>

Cellar spider: Also known as "daddy
long leg" spiders. This species prefers to nest in dark, damp
environments. These spi­der are commonly found in the basement or
cellar. Cellar spi­ders pose no threat to humans and are beneficial
because they often help control insect and spi­der populations.

One of the most important things you can do is check your home for
other insects that may attract spiders. Barton reported that it would
be a good idea to "turn your lights off outside, un­less you're
expecting someone, because other insects, like moths, are attracted to
the lights and spiders are attracted to those insects."

Duckworth said, overall, the best thing to do would be to "have your
home serviced regu­larly by any pest control com­pany to be absolutely
sure that your home won't attract spi­ders."

Heed our advice this Hallow­een to be sure that the only spi­ders in your home are the ones you use to decorate.